Court backs Saba's sentence in Saranac man's kidnapping

Federal prosecutors in Grand Rapids have struck out in their bid to increase the sentence of a man who's in prison for decades for kidnapping.

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By AP

Ionia Sentinel - Standard-Ionia, MI

By AP

Posted May. 6, 2013 at 12:12 PM
Updated May 6, 2013 at 12:15 PM

By AP

Posted May. 6, 2013 at 12:12 PM
Updated May 6, 2013 at 12:15 PM

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich.

Federal prosecutors in Grand Rapids have struck out in their bid to increase the sentence of a man who's in prison for decades for kidnapping.

The government blames Rami Saba for the disappearance and death of an Ionia County retiree, Donald Dietz. But Dietz' body has never been found.

In 2011, Judge Janet Neff sentenced Saba to more than 32 years in prison for kidnapping Dietz. Prosecutors wanted a life sentence, but Neff declined. A federal appeals court affirmed that decision Monday.

The court says Neff made no error in calculating the sentencing guidelines. The court, like Neff, notes there's no evidence tying the kidnapping to a death.

Saba's co-defendant, Raogo Ouedraogo, was acquitted by the judge. That decision is being appealed.